Rizal Golden Coolers

The Rizal Golden Coolers, also known as the Rizal Xentromall Golden Coolers for sponsorship reasons, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Rizal. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. They are one of five teams based in the Calabarzon region and play their home games at Ynares Center in Antipolo.

This article is about the men's basketball team. For its women's volleyball counterpart, see Rizal Golden Coolers (volleyball).
Rizal Golden Coolers
2024 Rizal Golden Coolers season
LeagueMPBL
Founded2018 (2018)
HistoryRizal Crusaders
2018–2019
Rizal Golden Coolers
2019–present
ArenaYnares Center
One Arena
LocationRizal
Team colors     
Main sponsorPTC Foodsphere Asia Corp.
AMRC Holdings Company, Inc.
EMKAI Non-Specialized Wholesale Trading
Head coachRalph Rivera

The team began play during the 2018–19 season as the Rizal Crusaders. Team ownership said that the name was chosen as the province of Rizal is known for "crusades, mountaineering, and other stuff". Originally, the team was going to be called the Rizal Ankle Breakers, but was changed due to criticism that the name didn't have any relation to the province of Rizal.[1][2]

In 2023, a volleyball team of the same name began play as one of eight charter teams in the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association's (MPVA) inaugural season.

History

Rizal struggled during its first two seasons, ending up with the worst record of the division in both instances. In the 2018–19 season, the team finished 7-18, last place in the Southern Division. In the 2019–20 season, the team finished 7-22, last place in the Northern Division.

Despite struggling in the 2021 Invitational, with a record of 1-4, the team rose up in the 2022 season. The Golden Coolers finished the season 10-11, earning a playoff appearance for the first time. As the sixth seed, they upset the third-seed Sarangani in the First Round, but would go on to be swept by Batangas City in the Division Semifinals,

Home arenas

The Rizal-based team's main arena is the Ynares Center, located in Antipolo. In 2023, the team played its first game outside Anitpolo, heading to Cainta to play at One Arena.

Current roster
Rizal Golden Coolers roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOBFrom
G/F 1 Villoria, Kraniel 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 1995–07–14 Arellano
G 3 Argente, Shawn (HG) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) José Rizal
F 4 Bernardo, Kristian 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Adamson
F 5 Alonzo, Chad (HG) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 1983–07–29 Adamson
G 6 Jimenez, Marvel 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) OLFU
F 7 Balagtas, Marco 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
G 8 Timajo, Deo 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
G 9 Davis, Kobi (HG, SGL) 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) OLFU
G 14 Pingoy, Jerie (HG) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1994–12–19 Adamson
G 17 Alday, Alwin 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
G 20 Cruz, Kyle (HG) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
G/F 22 Gamalinda, Riego 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1986–05–25 San Beda
C 25 Lao, Edrian 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 1988–02–25 Visayas
F 26 Serrano, Jeric 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Mapúa
G 27 Pastrana, Shaq 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) OLFU
F 37 Apacible, John 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 1996–02–07 UE
G 40 Casiño, JK 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
C 41 Templonuevo, Rodman 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
G 91 Dela Cruz, Charles 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) OLFU
C – Gob, John Winfred 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) UP Diliman
Head coach
  • Ralph Rivera
Assistant coach(es)
  • Christian Coronel
  • Donn Villamin
Legend
  • (HG) Homegrown
  • (FF) Filipino-foreigner
  • (SGL) Special Guest Licensee
  • Injured
Updated as of: June 19, 2024

Head coaches
# Name Term Ref.
1Braulio Lim Jr.2018–19
2Jayvee Gayoso2019–20
3Rodney Santos2021
4Jonathan Banal2022–2023
5Ralph Emerson Rivera2024

Notable players
Rizal Golden Coolers notable players
Player Position Tenure Awards All-Star
Marco Balagtas2018–2019
2024–present		—1 (2019)
Mark Benitez2018–2022—1 (2020)
Jboy Gob2022–2023—1 (2023)
Troy Mallillin2022–2023—2 (2022, 2023)

Season-by-season records
League champions
Division champions
Qualified for playoffs
Best regular season record
SeasonRegular seasonPlayoffs
DivisionFinishWLPCTStageResults
Rizal Crusaders
2018–19
Datu Cup		South13th718.280Did not qualify
Rizal Golden Coolers
2019–20
Lakan Season		North16th623.207Did not qualify
2022South6th1011.476First Round
Division Semifinals		won vs. Sarangani, 2–0
lost vs. Batangas City, 0–2
2023North10th1216.429Did not qualify
2024NorthTo be determined
All-time regular season record3568.3401 playoff appearance
All-time playoff record22.5000 Finals appearances
All-time overall record3770.3460 championships

References
  1. Joble, Rey. "Rizal Ankle Breakers ready to make their mark in MPBL". FoxSports. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  2. Joble, Rey (10 June 2018). "Team Rizal planning to change moniker for MPBL season". Fox Sports. Retrieved 10 June 2018.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.